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Jade Butterfly
Jade Butterfly Trigrams: 16 Hexagrams: 32 Languages Spoken: Chinese, Manchu, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese. Scripts Read: Chinese. Notable Equipment and Resources: Parasol (straightsword) (6 taels): With Jade Butterfly's dual lines of work as a courtesan and a knight-errant, it is important that she stay well-armed without appearing to do so. As such, she keeps a number of concealed weapons on her person at all times. Key among those is a straightsword concealed inside a parasol, much in the manner of a sword cane. Fan (dagger) (1 tael):: Similarly, the fan she normally keeps tucked into her sash has a series of spring-loaded blades concealed in it's frame, along the weapon to be converted into a deadly razor. Pepperbox Revolver (5 taels): This small firearm isn't disguised as anything; she just keeps it hidden under her skirt, tied to her leg. Hairpin (knife) (300 cash): Sometimes, you need a backup-backup-weapon. For such times, Jade Butterfly keeps a knife hidden in her hair, disguised as a hairpin. Lavish Apartments: With her collection of wealthy clients and patrons, Jade Butterfly is able to afford a rather opulent set of top-floor apartments to entertain customers. Lots of Money: Jade Butterfly is quite successful, and has nearly 28 taels of silver hidden away. No, she is not telling you where. Autocycle: Jade Butterfly much prefers to have other people drive her wherever she's going, but sometimes, that's just not an option for the femme fatale on the go. For such occasions, she has this bike. Talents: Monkey Steals the Dagger! Requirements: Sleight of Hand 3 You can lift a foe's weapon right off of him, even in the midst of battle. Make a Sleight of Hand check as an attack action, opposed by your target's Awareness; if successful, you disarm him of one weapon, either holstered or wielded. Hidden Blade Strikes the Heart! Requirements: Sleight of Hand 2 You can catch foes unawares by producing weapons they never saw. When drawing and attacking with an unnoticed concealed weapon, make a Sleight of Hand check opposed by Awareness; every success you make over theirs is subtracted from their evasion pool. By spending a point of Breath, you subtract the entirety of your Sleight of Hand check from their defense. Untrained: By spending a point of Breath, an untrained attacker may subtract the difference in the Sleight of Hand/Awareness roll from their target's Evasion. Fleeting Ghost! Stealth: 3 You can dissappear with nary a trace, using the slightest distraction to make your getaway. You can make Stealth checks even when under direct observation, so long as there is even a moment's distraction from your presence. Friends in Low Places! Streetwise: 2 You are exceptionally well connected when it comes to the underworld. Whenever you need a smuggler, drug dealer, or similar unseemingly ally, you know a guy who you are on reasonably good terms with. Captivate! Persuasion 2 You have an easy time gathering the attention of others, taking said attention away from those who might not want it. Make a Diplomacy check on a target or group of target's who you are socially engaged with; your successes are subtracted from the target's Awareness pool to notice anything other than you. Disarming Personality! Requirements: Persuasion 3 You are just so likeable that even hardened killers will hesitate to attack you. Whenever you are targeted with an attack in combat, you may spend a point of Breath to make a Persuasion check to convince your foe not to attack, opposed by your opponent's Empathy. This ability does not function if you have already attacked your foe physically. Gilded Tongue! Requirements: Persuasion 1 You have a way with words that makes you especially convincing, regardless of whether what you say is true or not; you may add your Persuasion ranks to Deception checks. Emotional Analyst! Requirements: Empathy 1 You can tell exactly where someone's heartstrings are and how to read them. After observing someone in conversation, spend a point of Breath and roll an Empathy check against their Deception. For every success you make over theirs, add an extra coin to all Deception, Bravado, and Diplomacy rolls made against them for the rest of the scene. Biography: This is the tale of two sisters who defied fate. The Yu sisters are identical twins, orphaned by war and left on the streets. Yu Sanbao was adopted by the master of a Taoist temple; Yu Hualian was adopted by the mistress of a bordello. Growing up in the temple, Sanbao was expected to follow a rigorous and ascetic lifestyle, devoted to the pursuit of harmony with naature through the study of science and mathematics. She found she had no taste for the dusty books and laboratories of the temple, and her spirit yearned for adventure in the outside world. The monks, for their part, found her a mischevious and willful child who seemed overly adept at manipulating others and totally lacking in devotion to her studies. Though fate had conspired to keep her and her sister apart, the two maintained a close and clandestine relationship through the years. Sangfen came to envy her sister's life, and the seemingly glamorous power courtesan's held over men in the outside world. Her sister, conversely, seemed to despise it. One night, Lianhua came to her in a fate of tearful rage, announcing that her chastity had been auctioned off. Sanbao comforted her sister, and offered her a trade – the two would exchange identiies, with Sanbao becoming Lianhua, and Lianhua becoming Sanbao. Lianhua eagerly agreed, and the novice exchanged her simple robe for her sister's fine silks. Sanbao, now Lianhua, went to her sister's brothel, and convinced the mistress that she had overcome her anxiety and was ready to choose a client. She chose a man called Jin Baiyu, a crime lord who was renowned for his wealth and physical beauty. Lianhua was no stranger to sex – in the monastery, she had had a secret affair with another acolyte named Wang Feichen. Her first encounter with Jin Baiyu led to a lengthy and perilous courtship; with her coy charms, she had won the gangster's heart, and he pursued her to become one his personal concubines. Appearance: Jade Butterfly is a classic beauty, with refined features and an alluring air. She dresses in fine silks, and and keeps her hair elegantly coifed. Personality: Jade Butterfly is a classic femme fatale, projecting a sweet and seductive persona with a hint of danger underneath. She is quite willing to use others to advance her own needs, which, thankfully, are often toward the cause of the greater good. In her life, she has seen great inequity – between the rich and the poor, between men and women – and fights to bring about an end to these systemic injustices. Playstyle: Jade Butterfly is a master manipulator, ideally situated for deception and subterfuge. She has moderate skills at combat and stealth, and even in the heat of combat has a way of getting into her opponent's heads.